“The astronomical scale of the amount of benefit money being lost through fraud and error is vividly brought home to taxpayers by the astonishing fact that the figures are rounded to the nearest half-a-billion pounds.”
“It is the clear volume of these cases which is worrying, 1 million incidents a year, and even more concerning that half of them could have been prevented if there had been proper reporting procedures.”
“Each day, over one million people are treated successfully, and we all know that in the complex world of a hospital, things can go wrong. But no public health system should tolerate a failure to learn from previous experience on this scale.”
“The people who need it most often don't know it exists -- and somewhat incredibly, neither do many of the Jobcentre staff who are there to help them.”
“Delays in processing applications, caused by poor computer systems and the inability of frontline staff to access the information they need, means that people can face lengthy waits for 'emergency funds'.”
“The Department for Education and Skills looks to be losing ground in its battle against truancy. Having remained at the same level for many years, the level of truancy has suddenly increased - to over 0.8% of school days.”
“The ultimate success of Skills for Life will depend on the 'hard to reach' being persuaded of the benefits of gaining qualifications. To this end, it is a matter of grave concern that those with the greatest need have been getting the worst quality teaching.”
“Far too many small and medium-sized stations are threatening places, with poorly lit, graffiti-covered passages and platforms, vandalized facilities and no staff on hand.”
“This report raises a serious question mark over the amount of efficiency savings the government will achieve. This is a high risk program. Only 50 out of 300 projects have got to deliver 80 percent of the total savings.”
